Device for raising and lowering cellar-doors



I (No Model.)

0. E. GOLDEN. DEVICE FOR RAISING AND LOWERING GELLAR DOORS.

No. 443,962. Patented Dec. 30,1890.

WITNESSES IN VENTOH A TTOHNE rs @UmTED STATES PATENT OFFIC CHARLESEDWARD GOLDEN, or osKALoosA, KANSAS.

DEVICE FOR RAISING AND LOWERING CELLAR-DOORS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 4=43,962, datedDecember 80, 1890.

Application filed April 10, 1890- Serial No. 347,353- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES EDWARD GOLDEN, of Oskaloosa, in the countyof J efferson and State of Kansas, have invented a new and useful'Devicefor Raising and Lowering Cellar-Doors, of which the following is a full,clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to a device for raising and lowering cellar-doors,and has for its object to provide a device of simple and durableconstruction adapted for attachment to any cellar-door, but especiallyto that class known as trap-doors, whereby the door when released willbe automatically opened and substantially automatically closed whendesired through the medium of an attached pendulum.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of theseveral parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed outin the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forminga part ofthis specification, in which similar figures and letters of referenceindicate corresponding parts in both the views.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the device applied to a trapcellar-door, and Fig. 2 is an end view of the same.

The door 10 is hinged at one side to the floor 11 in such manner thatwhen it is closed to the horizontal position it will cover an opening 12in the said floor formed over a stairway 13, leading into the cellar ora compartment below.

To the mop-board 14 of the wall or any other convenient place,preferably opposite one side of the opening 12, a lever 15 is fulcrumed,the lower end of which lever extends through and beneath the floor, andis connected by a link 16, extending transversely over the opening 12,with the free end of the spring-keeper 17, which keeper is attached atits other end to the side wall of the opening below the jamb, upon whichthe door closes. This springkeeper may be practically made to extendfrom end to end of the opening, and in the jamb at any convenient pointa recess 18 is formed immediately at the rear of the keeper.

Upon the under faceof thedoor, at or near its center preferably, anangled latch 19 is socured, and at one side of the said latch the upperend of a link 20 is pivotally attached to the said door, as bestillustrated in Fig. 1.

Below the hinged lower side of the door bearing-boxes or hangers 21 areattached to any convenient suitable support in the lower chamber orcellar, and in the said bearingboxes or hangers a crank-shaft 22 isjournaled. The body of the crank-shaft, which passes through thebearing-boxes or hangers, is horizontal, and a crank-arm is provided ateach end extending at a right angle from the body in oppositedirections. To the inner crank-arm o. of the crank-shaft the lower endof the link 20 is pivotally attached, and upon .the outer crank-arm a aweight 23 is adj ustably secured, which weight is so located that itwill slightly more than counterbalance the weight of the door 10.

When the door is closed, as illustrated in Fig. 2, the latch 19 of thedoor passes down in the recess 18 of the jamb and engages with the underedge of the spring-keeper 17, and both of the crank-arms are carried toa horizontal position. When it is desired to open the door, the lever 15is pushed in the direction of the door, whereupon the free end ofspring-keeper is drawn in the direction of the hinge side of the doorand the latch 19 is released, whereupon the weight upon the outer memberof the crank-shaft forces the said member downward to the vertical position, as illustrated in Fig. 1, and automatically carries the doorupward to the open position, as shown in the same figure.

The weight 23 upon the crank-arm a of the crank-shaft acts as apendulum. Thus to close the door, if it is given a quick push downward,the momentum of the pendulum-section of the crank-shaft will carry thedoor to its locked or closed position.

Having thus described my invention, I

claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. The combination,with a door, of a shaft having a crank-arm at each end, a weightadjustably secured on one crank-arm, a link pivotally connected to theother crank-arm and to the door, and means for locking the door closed,substantially as described.

2. The combination, with a door, a latch secured to the said door, aspring-keeper secured at one end to the door-jamb, a lever fulcrumednear the door, and a link connecting thefi'ree end of the keeper and thesaid lever, of a era'nksh'aft havin g its inner cran karm linked to thedoorand its outer crank-arm Weighted, substantially as shown anddescribed.

3. The combination, with a door, a shaft having a crank-arm at each end,a Weightedjustably secured on one crank-arm, and a link pivoted to theother crank-arm and to the door, of a latch secured to the under side ofthe door, at spring-keeper having one end secured to the side wall ofthe door-opening, a pivoted lever, and a link connected to the lower endof the lever and to the free end of the keeper, substantially as hereinshown and described.

CHARLES ED \VARD GOL D EN.

\Vitnesses:

H. J. GRAVES, J. L. RAINES.

